I have been hitting the music jackpot lately. A bunch of holds have come in at the library seemingly within a week and a half time period of each other and it is bomb.com. Side note/mega bummer: I HAVE LOST MY LIBRARY CARD. It pains me to type and speak, I’ve barely told anyone. One of my first real ‘belongings’ from Portland is missing and I’m sad. I felt such pride upon securing it, like I had officially joined the city. Luckily, my interwebz at work has remembered my account # so I have it written on an aging post-it note so I can still check out items, phew. Big side note, but an important one in case you know, anyone reeding might have seen it around town [puhleaze return to blogger]. So yeah, tons o’ tunes from the ‘brary AND a nice stack from a special someone have kept my ears/heart/mind somewhat happy/content/sane over the past few days. Emphasis on the ‘somewhat’… so it goes.
As a huge Nirvana fan, I’ve always loved the Pixies not only for their influence on Kurt & co, but as a rocking force all their own. This is one of their most mainstream hits and is not particularly amazing in anyway, but has managed to be on repeat this whole week. If I have headphones on at work, it is usually something a bit ‘angrier’…or the Nelly station on Pandora, check it out [you’re welcome]….and the Pixies usually fit the bill. PLUS y’all know my thang for lady bass players in 90s bands! Enjoy the tune.

I had a classic ‘foot in mouth’ moment to start my day today, and honestly it is still on my mind. I want a take back, a redo, a motherfing ‘un-send’ button. I want to hide and forget. I have learned a valuable lesson from this faux pas already and I’ll say these words of caution: make sure you know who it is you are responding to via email. Yeah…. Sometimes things happen that do make me want to retreat, to disassociate myself with how I was feeling at that moment, to make excuses for my behavior when I am ashamed of it for one reason or another. But obviously, I cannot hide and neither can you when/if you find yourself in a similar situation. I sought sisterly and co-workerly (?) advice on how to smooth over the incident today, and both gave me wise words. My thoughts now are still on my mistake because I will no doubt dwell on it for a few more days, but also on the kindness and forgiveness that others can extend. Putting all of this in my ‘pay it forward’ pipe and smoking it, we all mess up!
[ok maybe not FLOTUS, but that is neither here nor there]

I confess to feeling out of it in terms of what the fuzz is going on in the style-sphere. Not sooo out of touch that I didn’t catch the spawn of Rachel Zoe making his interwebz debut, but more in the vein of I sent myself five articles to read on Munday and I haven’t even opened that email. Ho hum, werk sucks, is sucking a lot of life out of me this week and will continue to do so for a while, blah blah. Which is why this post is text heavy thus far. Yer poor eyes! I will get to fixing that in 3-2-1…

[photos courtesy of instyle.com]
Lots of famous folk were out and about last night for Net-A-Porter’s Green Collection launch at…oh geez, who cares! These bitches look fine. Diane [right] is a favorite, I could look at photos of her for a lot longer than I should admit, and I love the loose braid with the fancy dress here. Olivia [left] is a newbie-ish and I honestly do not know for what she is famous, but every time I see her I think to myself that I need to investigate further. Her look here is perfect, taking details that can sometimes be trashy (mini skirt, lace) and keeping it hella classy by covering up her chest and arms. Clearly, both are quite fond of the left leg cross-over pose, high heels and neutral colored clutches. Almost makes me care about the environmental cause you are supporting, bravo ladies!

A gem via EJJ, my interwebz soulmate/coworker that I must share: OMG that dress!
A tumblr site self-described as “a blog for fashion and history,” this fulfilled my zone out/ladywood inducing needs yesterday and I cannot stop sneaking looks at dress after mind blowing dress. Can you even imagine wearing some of these numbers?! Some I would do just about anything to touch, let alone put on my body.
Sigh/swoon/oh-em-gee….

Just try to look through a few pages without uttering the namesake “OMG.” I dares ya!

Time to part for this post mah deers. Which as you know is ‘reed’ backwards. Forwards and backwards, wish me luck as I try to avoid channeling my inner Miss Hannigan the rest of the week!But ohso fab! Wink.

This week brought the sad news of screen legend Elizabeth Taylor’s death at age 79. She is one of the first celebrities I remember identifying as beautiful. Her delicate features and raven hair made me take notice even as a young in watching her in National Velvet. The marriages, the scandals, the 80s: Taylor lived through it all, and is remembered for her tireless humanitarian work in support of AIDS research as much as she is for being a rare a two-time Oscar winner (Best Actress for Butterfield 8 & Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?). Enjoy the following images of Ms. Taylor looking uber marvelous.
All photos linked to source.

Greetings and salutations my dears! Hope my Guest Pose-r’s guide to March Madness is proving helpful to your bracket. I think the Fashion Goddesses will indeed reward those coaches who put an effort into looking good. Time will tell! Tick tock.

Please enjoy this tune from Mrs. Jack White. Before Karen, the only model in a music video appearance I could get behind was the supermodels of the 90’s writhing about/lip synching in George Michael’s Freedom [PBC]. But Ms. Elson changed all that, and I’ve loved this song and video ever since her album came out last year. It is so simple- no flashy effects or product placement [I’m talking to you, Britters!]- just Karen, beautifully lit as if she was actually under the moonlight she is referencing in the song. And c’mon, that dress! Swoon x 10. Full disclosure: I have a huge lady crush on her, so I’d probs approve if she was strumming “Old MacDonald” in front of a dirty sheet.
Some more glimpses of her just because: striking a fierce pose/making Bozo the Clown hair look hott in Tom Ford’s eyewear campaign from a few years ago, and also looking gorgi in a photo shoot from marie claire magazine in 2010 :

Alright, enough gushing. The meat and taters of this post will be of the “Shopping Excursions” variety. With birthday ca$h in tow, I headed to one of my latest “can’t go in without buying something” shops, Fringe Vintage. Particularly troubling/awesome is the fact that Fringe is within walking distance of #5 AND very close to beloved Folly, which I am bound to visit once a weekend. Gah! Self control… never a strength of mine. Lucky for me, Fringe is extremely affordable and always seems to have some sort of sale special going on. My last two visits the entire shop was 15% off and this time, the super friendly owner gave me a card granting 10% off whenever presented at the register. Um, OKAY! Such perks are incentives to keep coming back, as if the amazing selection was not enough. Below: Receipt & card against my new floral slip with black lace trim!

During my trip today, I also scored the bitchin’ ring you’ll see when you hop over to check out my jewels o’ the day and a floral top. Perhaps I’m in a flower phase in anticipation of Spring’s calendar arrival in a few days? A gal can dream!
Please add Fringe Vintage to your must see list next time you are out and about lookin’ all fine in the Rose City. I accept ‘thank yous’ in the form of store merchandise, FYI.

One more bit of great news before I dash off: BOYCOTT OF RI RI IS OVER!

Just arrived in my mail box today. Sigh… so lovely. The photos inside are not as beautiful as the cover, but are enough to end our spat/bring balance to the Ri Ri Force once again. I know I’ll sleep better tonight!
[bonus points for noticing the teaser to the right re: Mary Kate & Ashley article, woot!]
[double bonus for noticing promise of an Amar’e feature inside, woot comma woot!]
Evening plans: night on the town getting cozy with mah Vogue.

Singing models, flowers showing up on clothing and in nature, love restored.
A good day indeed.
Cheers,

It is tournament time, Pose-rs!! Time to huddle around the TV and watch some #1 v. #16 domination, some upsets, some crazy fan in the stands body paint. When watching games, do you ever notice those middle-aged men pacing the sidelines? Yeah, those coach types. Do you ever check out the duds on those angry, sometimes sweaty dudes? Since you’re reeding such a well respected fashion blog, OF COURSE you are taking note! Now let’s take that “do or don’t” assessment of sideline style one step further: is a coach’s personal fashion sense indicative of his team’s success on the court? Are looking good and winning games mutually exclusive? That’s right my friends, time for another sports+fashion Guest Post. Because let’s face it, we are tired of picking teams based solely on the cuteness of their uniforms. REED ON.March Madness: The time of year when coworkers, classmates and friends fill out brackets and start talking trash about college hoops, has finally arrived. Some have been students of bracketology for years, others are novices. Doesn’t matter. The great thing about the Madness is that you don’t need to know an extensive amount about college basketball to do well predicting tournament games. It wouldn’t be March Madness without the unexpected upsets that not even the most season fan could have seen coming. Between all of the replays, highlights, and mascots, the coaches of these tournament teams really get overlooked. Lucky for you, PoseCity is here to give visual pointers on the men in charge. We think these guy’s styles will give you a clue who to count on moving forward on your bracket. To aid your predictions, we’ve broken down coach style into four categories: The Traditional Powers, The Flash Mob, The Upset-Minded and The ‘We Have Questions’.

The Traditional Powers

Mike Krzyzewski – Duke University

A 4-time National Title winner at Duke University as well as this year’s defending champ, “Coach K” brings a solid style to the sidelines. You can almost always find him in a black or navy blazer paired with a solid or classic patterned/striped blue tie. Coach K keeps it classy with 2-button blazers and does not accessorize at all. If you see some sort of pin on his left lapel this march, that is merely his credentials for the arena. His style reflects his personality: successful, humble, yet commanding of attention. Coach K’s consistent style is similar to his team’s dependable performances in March. Count on Duke being there until the end.

Bill Self – The University of Kansas

A national champion in 2008 at Kansas, success has followed Bill Self all the way through the ranks of college basketball. His style is also very classic, evidenced by his traditional 2-button blazers. However, Self is known to branch out a bit with the occasional olive or brown colored jacket. Bill has a great neck tie palette to work with between the red and blue of KU. Keep an eye on him and the Jayhawks, as they are heavily favored.

John Calipari – The University of Kentucky

John Calipari has been through the coaching ranks and finds himself back in the spotlight at perennial NCAA power Kentucky. Calipari rounds out our power group with yet another classic style. Probably more than Coach K or Bill Self, John mixes up the blazer and tie combo, sometimes going 3-button and patterned. All around, his look is still traditional. Jon Hamm could play him in a feature film (release date yet to be determined, wink). He lets his teams and recruiting do the talking. He’s a fine-looking coach that knows his X’s & O’s about basketball and style.

Power group analysisWe like these coaches because they look good without going over the top. In addition, they know when to unbutton their coats and KEEP them on. Pacing the sidelines all buttoned up in your suit jacket or with just your shirt and tie on just doesn’t look right. With all the movement going on in coaching a game you’ve got to unbutton that blazer, right? Keep these three and their teams front and center on your bracket and television this month.

The Flash Mob – All About The Bling

Rick Pitino – The University of Louisville

Without a doubt no one dominates the style headlines of college basketball like Rick Pitino of Louisville. The above graphic is not a compilation. Coach Pitino ACTUALLYchanged suitsduring halftime of a game. Coach Pitino brings his distinct New York swagger to the Blue Grass State. He is always trendy with the latest cut and button styles and is adorned with jewelry (NCAA title ring) and loads of accessories. I’d be willing to bet that his shoes cost more than most other coaches suits. Pitino’s mindset comes across in his style. His fashion choices are just like his team, when they are hot or in style, they seem to be firing on all cylinders. When they are a tick off, they are way off. Pay attention to Louisville this March and see if they are “in style” for a run at the title.

Jay Wright – Villanova University

Oh Jay Wright, we want to root for you and your Wildcats but why do you have to go so overboard on the look? We know it is hard to stand out in the saturated Big East Conference but you are going about it in all the wrong ways. He is an accomplished coach that has brought Villanova back on the basketball scene, but he has also brought his own style into question with that as well. Too much coach, too much. We hate to say it but you look like an extra from an episode of The Sopranos. All of the jewelry (rings, bracelets, gaudy watches), funky pocket-square folds and french-cuffed shirts belong in a different spotlight. You are chiseled and good-looking, just tone it down a bit. Let that make the statement. Your styles, like your teams, need more consistency and tradition. We are hoping that both come with maturity. With that said, you are interesting and we’re following you this March and beyond.

Frank Martin – Kansas State University

Believe it or not that is one of the calmer photos of Frank Martin we could have posted. He is crazy intense during all of his games. His style, “frankly” needs help. He goes wild accessorizing and does not unbutton his jacket during a game. His style (3-4 button jackets, pocket squares, vests, jewelry) is like his team, more about the stand-out piece than the look as a whole. In addition to all that, his suits NEVER fit right. Pay attention to that this March when you watch the Wildcats. Tone it down with the style and demeanor, Coach Martin. You get compared toVince McMahonfor a reason. Keep a lookout for him early as the Wildcats may be gone after the first weekend.

Flash Group Analysis This group is known more for their own personal styling than their respective programs successes on the court. Common faults in this category include: over-accessorizing, straying from traditional jacket/color/pattern styles, brazen attitudes off the court, buttoned jackets during games, and the most criminal offense, excessive sweating. Tone it down gents! Let your teams do the talking, just look good as the man in charge of your squad.

Upset-Minded

Mike Anderson – The University of Missouri

At the top of our Upset group is Mike Anderson of Missouri. Overlooked in the top heavy Big 12 conference, Mike Anderson has built a solid, stable contender at Missouri. Coach Anderson is always in control of his team and style from the sidelines. His look is unique without going overboard (see tie in photo above). He never loses his cool and has a quiet confidence in his team and his style. Well done coach. Most of you might not recognize him because Mizzou shares a conference with the likes of Kansas and Texas, but watch out for Coach Anderson and the Tigers this year and in many Marches to come.

Josh Pastner – The University of Memphis

One of the newer coaches to the NCAA circuit is Josh Pastner of Memphis. Taking over after then head coach John Calipari skipped town to take the job at Kentucky, Pastner brings a young presence to the tournament. At just 33, Pastner can be easily overlooked, not only for being in a second-tier conference (Conference USA) but also for his youth. As a member of the 1997 National Championship Arizona Wildcats team, Pastner learned the game from one of the all-time great coaches Lute Olsen. Perhaps Olsen passed down some wisdom on how to carry oneself on the sidelines because Pastner has it mastered. Interestingly, Pastner’s #12-seeded Tigers open up against his alma-mater #5-seeded Arizona Wildcats in the tourney. Who said soap operas were only during the day? Get a good look at him early because he and Memphis may not be around for long, but then again this IS the upset group.

Lorenzo Romar – The University of Washington

The elder statesman of the Pac-10 (soon to be PAC-12) Conference, Lorenzo Romar’s biggest fault is simply being the head coach of a university located in Seattle Washington. PAC NW REPRESENT! Romar is a humble coach that lets his players take the spotlight, but damn coach we love you up here! Coach Romar always has a great tie on. Paisley is a tricky print to pull off well, but on Coach Romar it looks modern and appropriate. If he were in a more talked-about media market, more people would know him and recognize his consistent winning. Romar’s teams are as reliable as his clothing choices- and that is something that will not being going out of style anytime soon. Keep an eye on the #7 seeded Huskies opening weekend, they could pull a major upset and coach Romar will look good doing it.

Upset Minded Analysis The seeds of the following coaches are 7,11, & 12 respectively. Not being traditional NCAA basketball powers and being in overlooked geographic locations have these coaches at a style disadvantage. Like their “power” counterparts, these coaches have the style and coaching know-how, they just lack the institutional pedigree behind them….for now.

We Have Questions

Bruce Pearl – The University of Tennessee

Oy, Bruce Pearl…….where do we start? This should be brief because the photos above make the biggest statement. As a result of this season’s SEC suspension, the sweating, the audacious attitude and the need to always be in the spotlight, Coach Pearl is the leader in this category. Granted, orange is a difficult color to work with, but that does NOT mean you should embrace it to the degree you have. As if the bright orange blazer was not enough, he once showed up at Lady Vols game decked out in orange and silver body paint. Ironically enough, a middle-aged man wearing little more than a headband in public is the least of all fashion crimes committed by Pearl. Success on the court merely breeds a more pompous attitude on and off. Fashion can take NO more! We hope you are eaten by a Wolverine in this year’s tournament Coach Pearl. Come back next year and act/dress your age. College was 30+ years ago. [burn!]

Bob Huggins – West Virginia University

Okay, it could be easy to pick on Bob Huggins in this post. The man has been through ups and downs his personal life, but he is a coach that truly cares for each and every one of his players. We do love Huggy and as aforementioned, it would be easy to mock him and we don’t want to do that…but we do have one question: A track suit coach? Really? When did you stop caring? You used to dress well and put yourself together ingreat suits. What changed? You are only on this list because of the track suit. You are an elite coach and we just want you to look that way.

Mike Brey – The University of Notre Dame

Dear Mike Brey…didn’t Mike Krzyzewski teach you anything when you were his assistant at Duke? We don’t question a whole lot with you, just the mock turtleneck. And that is a big question mark on his style file. He always has one on, forgoing ties, let alone a shirt with actual buttons. Yes, this is more of a misdemeanor of a fashion crime, but come on and dress like a grown man, puh-lease. We will teach you to tie a tie coach. Oh well, it is Notre Dame afterall, and it could be worse. Clean it up and put on a shirt and tie, problem solved. We guarantee it will help Notre Dame be taken more seriously as a basketball school.

Questions Analysis This group is definitely the most diverse. Each coach is here for a different reason and we dislike, like and are ambivalent about each one… in that order. The biggest criminal in this category is Bruce Pearl bar none. The other two just need a few tweaks and they could have been in contention in our “Upset” group. The answer to all of our questions pose-d to this group is simply “class it up.”

Good luck with your bracket(s) this month. Nothing makes winning even better than looking sharp while doing so. Who wants to watch a haggard looking coach featured in “One Shining Moment 2011?” NOT US! Only here to help, as always.

HELLO! It has been too long since a reg post, although I must say that ’30 Days of Jewels’ is keeping me quite busy and adorned. I am loving the challenge and posting something on here everyday. I also took one small step for most bloggers/one GIANT leap for me in posting the link to my challenge on my Facespace page. In the past I’ve wanted to keep my blog so private that only my dear sweet mother knew of this site. But I’m slowly and slightly more surely growing out of that phase. I attended a “Women in Media” panel talk back in November put on by Siren Nation and listened as if I were a sponge, trying desperately to absorb all the wisdom from the intelligent ladies in front of the room. A few quotes that still ring in my mind were from S. Renee Mitchell, a journalist who has been writing many years for various media outlets: “Do not wait for permission. Create your own space for your words. Study others. Be a writer in whatever format that suits you. What you have to say is important.” Ok, sounds easy enough right?! WRONG. Exuding such confidence and trust in your own skills is often difficult for me, especially because I have no “formal” journalism training [unless you count high school Journalism class, in which I mostly scribbled notes back and forth to ALT between gazes at my crush du jour]. However, the more I write, the more confidence I build and the more I want to share. Like I said, it has been a slow process, but one that is progressing nonetheless.

So, moving on… tunage for this musing is courtesy of Morphine. I shamefully admit I just learned of this band a few weeks ago, very embarrassing for someone who considers 90s music her forte. I am digging them so much. Plus, it is good for my ears to have a hiatus from Sonic Youth every once in a while…

I had a sort of monumental week, turning one year older on Monday, March 7th, having another article for GalTime posted on Thursday and realizing that PoseCity is now officially six months old.

Can I get some Funfetti or something up in here?! Shoo. It is nice to feel some personal achievement as professionally, I find myself lacking more and more in the motivational department (it’s right down the hall from Human Resources). My mind is never totally present unless I am writing, which of course is great when I can, but very distracting when I cannot. And to be fair, I am easily diverted even when I am writing… damn you, Interwebz!!! [jay-kay, I love you!! Don’t ever leave me] Speaking of, so much goodness to get a sharin.’

In addition to being monumental, it was also a week where I sent myself link after link, hoping to find time in the often referenced “later” to actually reed more. Some that I have gotten through and I’d like to post:

Fashion as Participatory Culture: Sent to me by my esteemed Guest Poster PBC, this article explores how people interact with fashion by following trends as well as still wanting to assert individuality. It also discusses the often debated nonexistent copyright laws in fashion and whether or not manufacturers have the right to claim stake over a particular design. “I’ve realized that people interact with fashion in a hugely diverse number of ways…. fashion has ALWAYS been a remix culture. The point of fashion IS the remix.” I agree wholeheartedly with the writer here. The video posted in the article expands upon the idea that the lack of copyright protection feeds innovation within the many facets of the fashion industry, a notion that even fashion bloggers are helping to assert [holler].

Twice as Nice: Might I introduce “The Olsen Style,” a Tumblr site sent to me by my California Babe/Fellow Olsen Aficionado MCB. The blog simply posts photos from across the web of the twinsies as a pair or separately looking ohso maaaahvelous. Some are candid, some are from photo shoots, all make me giddy like Michelle Tanner on Christmas morn.

A
above
and
left,
MK
right

love
it

♥

Marc-y Marc and the iTunes Bunch : Also celebrating this past week was Marc Jacobs, who marked the 10th anniversary of his Marc by Marc Jacobs line with a party [duh] and also by releasing this fun playlist to honor “artists that have inspired our past ad campaigns and set the tone for our runway shows.” I learned about this by way of NYLON’s Facebook page and with my aforementioned music standby appearing as Track Numero Uno, how could I not show some love? Just further proves my theory that people/things/fashion lines ‘born’ in March are superior.

Ending on a high note, this post comes to a close. Hope you all are having a stylish weekend. Much love.
Cheers,

A new feature to behold! My “30 Days of Jewels” experiment launched on Thursday. This is in an effort to wear more of the many accessories items I own that lay dormant in my jewel closet [yes I have a jewel closet, jeal?]. This will force me to dig deep into my collection and wear pieces that I have either forgotten about or just haven’t worn in a while. Check it out on the tab above- who doesn’t love jewels?! WINK.

I was surprised at how much I loved Michelle’s look, especially after her “W” at the GG’s. This is how minimalism can work well at a fancy event. Jennifer Lawrence bored me; Michelle knocked my Frye’s off. Mila was a vision in feminine charm, rocking a color that was neither predictable nor Easter egg-y as pastels can sometimes be. Cate’s only consistency is her penchant for unique, high fashion gowns. She is always interesting to look at and hate it or love it [50 Cent?], at least she gave your party something to discuss between awkward Franco moments.

Bravo on your PoseCity “B” ladies!

NK: Unflattering/Boring
PC: Holy Hooters
ML: Too Much Goin’ On

Oh mah lordy. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction… or something scientific like that… and these three are the fashion personification of that rule. Even so, there were not any looks that I would categorize as total disasters.* Nicole is never a favorite, but this in particular is troubling. How can you make such a slender robot look hip-heavy?! Sheesh. I hate the color, the tapestry detail and the red shoes. Penelope, the world knows you just had a baby, put those things away! Yes, they look amazing, but the Oscars is not the time/place, daahhling. Plus, I think it looks cheap and very 80’s in a bad way. Melissa had one of the worst acceptance speeches [f bomb, really?!] and looks as if she draped herself in doilies left over from Valentine’s Day. Uggg… way too busy for such a tiny frame. I do like elements of this dress, but the print all over is overwhelming.

*dennoutes the “Helena Bonham Carter” clause: Said actress is left out of all PoseCity B &W discussions. I think she is beautiful and fascinating, but there’s just so much that could be said about her fashion choices that I feel omission is necessary to make room for others. I do hope you understand.

There you have it, mah deers! I apologize for the delay, but better late than out of style.

Before I jet off, I want to share a few images from my weekend…
Had a fun shopping excursion which led me to this sign/new life motto:

Photo cred: iPoseCity

And I must also share a snap of my nails, of which I am quite proud:

Photo cred: iPoseCity

PoseCity Nail Salon…. small biznass loan pending!

Judging is fun, but let’s be honest- all those women are amazingly beautiful and should be applauded for putting in the extraordinary amount of effort it must take to compose a look for the Academy Awards. Thank you to Hollywood for Awards Season 2k11!